Slaughter is the most welfare-significant event in a farmed animal's life. Evidence-based improvements to lairage conditions, handling, and stunning dramatically reduce suffering in the final hours.
Slaughter welfare is both a moral imperative and a practical opportunity for significant welfare improvement at relatively low cost. The final hours of a farmed animal's life — lairage, movement through the plant, and slaughter itself — are high-stress events that can be dramatically improved through facility design, stockmanship quality, and appropriate stunning. Temple Grandin's audit systems demonstrated that systematic assessment and accountability drive rapid improvement across large slaughterhouse networks. Mandatory CCTV, independent audit, and standardised animal-based outcome measures are all effective regulatory tools. On-farm and mobile slaughter options, while more expensive, eliminate the welfare burden of transport entirely for the most welfare-motivated producers.